In Egypt, hope and despair

2:41 PM,
Nov. 12, 2013

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi shouts slogans during a protest in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. The banner in the background shows four raised fingers, which has become a symbol of the Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque, where Morsi supporters had held a sit-in for weeks that was violently dispersed in August.

Written by

DAVID IGNATIUS

MENOUFIA, Egypt -- A year ago, the Muslim Brotherhood's leaders in this region of the Nile Delta seemed confident that they owned the future. But then came the military coup on June 30 that toppled President Mohamed Morsi and killed hundreds of his supporters.

The story of this tumultuous counterrevolution is clarified by a visit to this town in the heart of the Delta. You encounter an odd combination of a bottom-up popular rejection of the Brotherhood and a top-down military putsch. I was happy to hear demands for citizens' rights, even amid the cheers for the generals. But it's fair to say that ...